Bachelor King 6: The Cost of Friendship
by creativeKing95
Summary: When Larry does something against the rules, Spiny goes in to try to save him, but is caught and falsely accused. However, he doesn't try to prove his innocence in order protect Larry. However, as Spiny begins to become an outcast and is now hated by everyone-including Lilia-Larry's conscience tells him that it's not fair for Spiny. But Spiny won't let Larry tell. What will happen?
1. Chapter 1

One of the first laws of friendship says that you should be loyal unconditionally. But sometimes that can mean going through injustices. If anyone knows about injustices, it's me. Believe me, I know. All the time, I'm being falsely accused for doing things I would never do. And those who accuse me are often official within the government, family and friends, school mates, and the media.

And a lot of time I simply cannot prove my innocence because all the evidence points against me and I'm found in situations in which I'm in the middle of the crime, so to speak. And then, people start talking: "Spiny did this, or Spiny did that, and I can't believe it and why did he do that?"

Obviously, when you're accused of something you didn't do, you do even the impossible in order to prove your innocence, right? I mean, it's a natural thing. Innocent victims of circumstance can go through some really hard ones when everyone thinks they did something bad. My point?

That it's very hard. But over the years, I've learned something else. Friendship is a very powerful thing. And loyalty might make up half of friendship. The other half is fraternal love. And like I said before, one of the first laws of friendship is that you will be loyal to that friend no matter what. And I really do mean, no matter what.

But another questions is, how far should that loyalty go? So far that it might ruin your reputation and other interpersonal relationships? Well, if you only knew what I've been through lately…well, why don't I tell you?

It all started on March 2, 2015. It started usual. That day I decided to go to school along with the girls. Like I said usual start. Woke up real early, showered, got dressed and ready and went down to get breakfast. It was actually kind of a comical start. We were having breakfast at the…well, the breakfast table, obviously. Where else do you have breakfast? I mean, you can't have anywhere…never mind. Let's move on.

When I got down to the breakfast table, Kathy and Patty were just finishing my breakfast. Hmm. I didn't see Robert or Greeny. "Good morning."

They both looked up. "Good morning, Spiny," said Patty.

"Good morning, handsome," said Kathy.

I sat down at my chair and placed the napkin in my lap. I poured some coffee into my cup and mixed sugar and cream into it. "Where are the boys?" I said.

"Oh, they already ate. They're brushing their teeth," said Kathy, sitting down across from me and eating.

"What'd they have?"

"Waffles and bacon."

I froze. I looked down at my… "How come they get all those fancy things and all I ever get is scrambled eggs?"

Kathy shrugged. "Well, because when I knock on your door and ask what you want, you always say scrambled eggs."

I set down my coffee cup. "Well, yeah, but that's because I've got scrambled eggs memorized; I'm half asleep in the mornings. All I do is mumble. Next time, when I mumble scrambled eggs, give me waffles. And when I mumble waffles…"

"I'll give you scrambled eggs?"

"Right! And when I mumble toast…well, I'll give you a list of mumbles and their translations."

She gave me a funny look and said, "Okay."

After that, I went back up to my bathroom to brush my teeth. Of course, I was still one-fifth asleep. I went into the bathroom, grabbed my toothpaste, squeezed some on my toothbrush and put it in my mouth and…SPIT!...

"What the?!" Blech! That tasted TERRIBLE. What kind of…I looked closer at the…huh?! That wasn't toothpaste! Some stupid practical joker had replaced my toothpaste with hair gel! And who else but…I looked up and saw…who else? That's right. Mr. Practical Joker. Mr. Sneaky. Mr. Smart-Aleck. Larry.

I looked up in the mirror and saw Larry standing behind me wearing a huge and dumb grin. Oh, he looked so self-satisfied. "You'll pay for this!" I promised. Ugh! Well, I finally found the toothpaste.

Anyways, after that we all got on our way to school. Normal, nothing out of the ordinary. And I might add, I did nothing to deserve what happened to me! Just a quick FYI.

Anyways, the day started as usual. Well, almost. When we got in, some of the halls were decorated with Hawaiian decorations. Was it some special Hawaiian culture day or something? Well, I didn't get too curious about it. There are many strange characters in the school.

You may be wondering about Darla, Dimetroodon, and Lilia, right? Well, just be patient. They'll come up in a while. We'll start the other way around. That is, from the latter to the former.

I did see Lilia once before The Incident occurred. It was when we were switching classes. I had Advanced English and so did she. I was coming from Art class when I saw her coming down the hallway. Of course, she looked pretty. She always does. She smiled at me. "Hey, Spiny!"

I smiled back and my heart started pounding again. I tried to show my most charming smile. "Hey, Lilia. How are you?"

"Oh, just fine. How are you doing?"

"Oh, just normal. Say, you heading to Advanced English?"

"Yeah, you have that class too, right?"

I nodded. Gosh, I could feel I was blushing already. She must have noticed it, because she smiled again. "Yeah," I tried to say without breaking my voice. "Since we are heading in the same direction, so to speak, I was kinda wondering, if, uh, you'd let me carry your books for you?"

She stared at me for a while and tilted her head. "You want to carry my books for me?"

"Well, that is if it's okay, I mean, I wouldn't want to impose or anything. I mean, it can be a drag sometimes but if it's not…"

"No, it's okay!" she said.

"And I certainly wouldn't want to be a…did you say yes?"

She nodded. "Sure. It's really nice of you to do it. Are you sure it wouldn't bother you?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. How could it? I love to do anything for you." I grabbed her books and walked her to our class. And yes, I was a gentleman and opened the door for her and helped her into her seat. I sat down beside her and she said, "Thank you." Then she hugged me!

It sent shivers down my back. But little did I know that…oh well. A little while later, again in between classes, the principal said over the speakers, "Welcome! Welcome! To all students of this temple of learning and knowledge! We are so glad to have you all here!" Um, okay? Awkward. He was saying good morning in the middle of the day? What was up with that?

Anyways he kept on saying, "We want to welcome you on this glorious day! And since you have all been so well-behaved lately, I want to give you a special treat from me." Oh no! He wasn't going to…

He started playing some weird tropical music. "Sauropolis Junior High is a temple of learning! Here we have the knowledge of yearning!" Oh please, make it stop! Hearing the principal sing was more torture than all the detention I've served! This, mind you, only happened once, and was about five minutes.

Anyways, the entire school had their ears covered. Even the janitor put earbuds on. I was walking down the hallway, trying to protect myself from the hazardous audio hurricane which was happening, and saw Dimetroodon getting something from his locker. I walked up to him. "Ugh! This is more terrible than the death of Marie Curie who discovered radiation!" he said.

"Just be glad Mr. Anderson is scat-singing."

As if on cue, "Cha-cha-cha. Whoop-dee-oo, doo doo. Whoo!" Oh, shut up already!

Then, silence. Ahh! Finally, it ended. I mean, please.

Well, now that we had survived that, I said to Dimetroodon, "Say, I haven't seen Larry since lunch. He was supposed to help me on an oral report were doing on molecular structure."

Dimetroodon rolled his eyes. "Our very good yet not-so-rational friend, associate, and classmate is participating in his hobby. His reason of living. His purpose in coming to school."

I stared at him. "Don't tell me he's planning to splash the whole PTA with tomato sauce."

He shook his head. "I wish he were. He's spying on the girls from inside the girls' restroom."

HUH?! "He's what? Doing what?! From where?!"

"You heard me. Even know as we speak, Larry is inside the girls' restroom, and is either taking notes on all the conversations or recording the audio. He claims all the juiciest gossip comes from there and just can't resist the temptation."

I rolled my eyes and exhaled. "I've told him a thousand times not to do that. If he's caught, he'll get suspended and will have to find a low-pay job. Well, I'm going to see if I can get the cat out of the bag, if you know what I mean."

"You're going in there too?!"

"I don't have a choice! I'll be back. Hopefully not alone." And so that is how I went on a noble rescue mission which turned out to be a gigantic social and academic catastrophe.


	2. Chapter 2

And so, just like that, I sneaked down the hallway. Looked around, and made sure nobody was watching me. Turned the full 360®. Finally I was there. The white door with red letters that said GIRLS. Well, here we go. Into no-man's land. Uncharted territory. Unknown waters.

Was I scared? Sure I was. You'd have to be a fool no to be scared of going into the girls' bathroom. Except if you're a girl, in which case it would be perfectly natural for you to…you get my point. What I mean, is that only a dumb-bunny would dare to…let's move on.

I was about to go in when…YIKES! The door opened. Hopefully it wasn't Lilia. Wait, maybe it was Larry. Maybe he'd decided to get out himself and therefore, I wouldn't risk my life going in there to save him.

Ah! Never mind. It was only Kylie and her red-headed cheerleader friend. I tried to look normal and said, "Oh, hi."

They both smiled at me and said, "Hey, swee."  
"Hey, swee?"

"Hey, sweetie pie!" They giggled and blew kisses at me. Then they left. Phew! I waited for them to leave and turned around to face the great task before me. Well, here we go. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and…gulp!...went in.

When I didn't hear screaming, I dared to open my eyes again. If I was caught…I don't want to even think about it. Thankfully, there were no girls inside. I almost fainted of relief. I looked around and saw…aha! A pair of three-clawed feet with tan and brown stripes. I shook my head and walked up to the door and opened it.

Yep, it was Larry all right. He was sitting down on a closed toilet, and taking notes. He just stared at me. I groaned and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, pulling him up. "Larry, what are you doing?! I've told you a thousand times that gentlemen don't spy from inside the girls' restroom!"  
He threw my hands off of him. "And I've told you ten thousand times, that I'm not a gentleman!"

Oh, well! I could definitely testify to that. I mean, it's not that Larry is exactly anti-girl or anything, but he sees no real point in romantic relationships and all that stuff. He was friends with Darla, sort of with Patty, he was nice to Lilia and as for Kathy…well, that's another topic for another whole story and we'll talk about that later.

Anyways, I said to Larry, "That's not the point. The point is that it's not okay to play Peeping Tom from inside the girls' restroom. It's unbecoming, it's uncouth, it's lack of manners, it's…it's…it's…"

"So much fun! You won't believe all the juicy gossip you hear! Kylie and her friend were talking up a storm. They even put dog food in my lunch!" He held up his sandwich. "I was wondering why it was so tasty!"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I was getting nowhere like this. "All right, Mr. Gossip. I came in here in order to save your worthless carcass from embarrassment, social humiliation, suspension and even worse things. How long have you been doing this anyway?"

He stared at me with a blank expression. Then he gave his "I'm-in-big-trouble-laugh." Yep. He went, "Uh, ah, heh heh." He smiled with guilt written all over him. It was so obvious that even a blind person could have seen it. Well, not seen it, because blind people can't…what I'm trying to say is…phooey! Forget it.

But you get my point, right? It was obvious that he had been doing this for longer that I probably thought. I snatched the notebook out of his hand. He was about three-quarters of the way through it. He'd written many conversations, along with the names of the talkers, date and time. I flipped to the front to see when he had first started.

HUH? August 2014?! He'd been doing this every single day since school started?! And every third period, too! What kind of perverted mind ran through his tiny head, anyways? Well, I probably wasn't going to be so successful in stopping his habit. But one thing was for sure: I HAD TO GET US OUT OF THERE!

And quick, too! The next period was about to start and that's when everyone goes to the restroom. Not only that, but both the principal and his staff had set up a sort of spy network to track him because there had been several reports of someone listening inside and spreading rumors that supposedly were privately being told in between friends in the girls' restroom. So, unless he used his Transparent and Invisibility Powers, Larry was pretty much doomed.

Plus, I had to get out too. What if I got caught and Larry the Smart-Aleck decided to disappear at that moment and let me get caught? He was that kind of a guy, you know?

Anyway, I grabbed him by the tail, lifted him and turned around to run out the door like greased lightning. I was only about two feet from the door when I saw something that made me freeze in terror and sent my heart racing with fright.

The doorknob was turning! And I heard voices! I panicked. Before you can say, "Thingamadoodle," I dropped Larry and turned around to hide. Larry and I bumped several times and almost got tangled. I pushed him away and hid in one of the latrines, so to speak. Larry scrunched up behind the trash bin and even put the lid on his head in hopes that he wouldn't be noticed.

Talk about being camouflaged.

Anyways, I went into the same spot that Larry had hid in and closed the door behind me. I heard the door open and footsteps get closer. Gulp! Not only that, but I recognized the voices. And they belonged to people I knew perfectly well. It was Darla, Kathy, and…Lilia! My heart was pounding so hard that if they had not been talking, they would've have heard it. And I would have been dead. Literally.

I tried to keep as still as possible. "All right," I heard Lilia say. "Patty already knows, but I have to tell you two. But please promise that you won't tell."

"Your secret is safe with us," said Kathy.

"Sure. Fire away, Ms. Trooper," said Darla.

Well, while they were busy talking, I was busy trying to find a way to get Larry and me out of there alive and unnoticed. Hmm. Maybe I could walk up the walls, on the ceiling upside down and crawl out of there. No, they might see me. How about crawling sneakily on the floor. Wait!

There's an AC conduit above me! Maybe I can crawl out of there and into some storage room, and to my class. Nobody would miss me. And Larry could simply make himself invisible and follow me! What a great idea.

Too bad I couldn't start it. I was about to raise my foot to climb on the toilet to crawl out of there, when someone knocked on the door. EEK! I froze with pure fear. My heart was now pounding in my throat. I was one second away from screaming. My voice squeaked. Hey! Wait a minute! Maybe I could kill time.

"Um," I said in a falsetto and almost girly voice. "This one is occupied!"

Darla's tough-sounding tomboy voice boomed through the door. "Come on little, girl! I need to go!"

"Why don't use another one?"  
"Because my friend likes that one," said Kathy.

"Yeah, I like this one," said Darla.

HUH?! Darla had a favorite toilet?! I shook my head and said, "Yeah, but I'm busy. I've got diarrhea and I'm barely doing Number One!" Yeah, kind of silly, but what could I do? "Now, go I want to be alone!"

"It's a public restroom!" Darla yelled.

I was running out of ideas! "Yeah, but I'm here!"

I heard Darla sigh and muttered, "Forget it. I'll go later."

Oh, I almost died of relief. Now, I could get back to escaping! "I have to tell you two," I head Lilia say. I was about to unscrew the air conduit when Lilia said, "Today, I found out that I'm really in love with Spiny! I love his smile and his eyes!"

HUH?! Did she just say…my heart pounded again, but not because I was afraid. I stepped down and gently pressed against the door. "I love the way he does everything. The way he looks at me, the way he smiles, his laugh…I LOVE him! I want to be his girlfriend. Next time he asks me, I'll say yes."

What? I couldn't believe it! This was too good! I felt like whooping and doing somersaults! Of course, I didn't. I whispered to myself, "Yes!" Then I heard silence again. Nah, they didn't hear me.

The door unlocked before me and…THEY DID HEAR ME!

The door was fully open, and I was in complete and full view of the three. My mind raced. "Hey, what are you…" I was still talking falsetto. I cleared my throat and said in a normal voice, "Um, um, um, hey how are you?"

Lilia stared at me hard. "Spiny, what are you doing here?!"

I looked around and tried to look confused. "Isn't this the Chemistry Lab room?"

They all shook their heads.

"Um, the janitor's storage room?"

More head shaking. Now they had huge frowns. Oh, no!

"Um, don't tell me that this is the place where they hide soccer celebrities?"

"NO!" said Kathy, now furious.

Behind the girls, I could see Larry fidgeting and peeking above the trash bin. He quickly got behind it again. Don't just stand there, stupid! Tell them why I came here! Of course, he never did.

Lilia took a step closer to me and said, "Spiny…I never thought you were capable of doing something like this. You're a pervert! I hate you!" She slapped me. That's right. So hard I turned half a dozen times.

"Huh? No, wait a second! I didn't come here to…hey listen, I can explain everything….I came here to…"

Then I looked at Larry again and he was looking at me with a mournful look. Then I remembered what my father had once said about friends and loyalty. If I pointed Larry to them, I would not be a good friend.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "You're right. I am. Forgive me?"

Lilia looked at me with a pained look. "Don't talk to me. I don't want to ever see you again!" She burst in tears and stormed out. Darla shook her head and left. Then Kathy said, "Nice going."

After they all left, I sighed and looked at Larry. He was getting up and I was about to say something when two girls walked in! They screamed. Then I screamed! "Spiny's in the girls' room!" Then they ran out screaming the phrase over and over.

"No, wait! I…"

I ran out to try to stop and explain….and when I ran out, ran smack into the vice principal.

Now I knew it. I was dead.


	3. Chapter 3

What happened next was all a blur, almost dreamlike. Well, nightmare-like might be a more accurate description. In less than a rooster calls, I was in the principal's office, standing in front of him. He looked not angry, but…disappointed.

"I cannot believe it," he muttered. "I simply cannot believe it! Who would have imagined that it was you? As you know, for a long time, we have been on the trail of the famous Restroom Peeping Tom, and finally the case closes with you. You don't realize how it breaks my heart!" He started crying. That's right. The principal was crying.

"All I need know is for someone to tell me that the Tooth Fairy doesn't exist!" Huh?! This guy still believes in…never mind. That was the least of my worries.

He cried after a while, then he said in a calmer voice, "I always thought that only someone as stupid and brick headed as Larry would do this. And as a matter of fact, if it had been him, I would've suspended him without even thinking twice or even once!" The thought made me shiver.

But I kept my mouth closed. Sure, Larry was a goofball and a smart-aleck and a practical joker…but he was my best friend and a brother to me. I couldn't let this happen to him. After all, it wasn't like he did it maliciously. He simply couldn't help it. It was just Larry being Larry.

"But in your case, I won't suspend you." Well…that was a relief. At least. But the worst was to come.

"But you will be severely punished. And, you will apologize to all your female classmates publicly." Great! Now I was going to be humiliated for…but I have to go through with it. Then he told me my punishment. After that he led me outside, and to no surprise to anyone, the entire 8th grade class was lined up outside. Everyone was there. And I mean everyone. Tyrone, Dimetroodon, Kathy, Patty, Lilia, Kylie, everyone.

Larry was at the front, looking at me mournfully. Mr. Anderson turned to me. "Very well, young man. Do you have something to say to your peers?"

I gulped and forced myself to look at them. "I want to say that…I…I…" I sighed. "I am the guy who has been spying from the girls' restroom." I heard some gasps and whispering. Everyone looked at each other in shock. "And…that I've been doing it all year long."

Larry was standing beside me. "Really? What a coincidence, because I've been doing the…"

If I'd let him talk just one more second, he would've confessed. I did the first thing that came to my mind: I slammed my foot as hard as I could on his.

"Yeeee-ooowwww!" he yelled. "Look at my foot. You smashed it like a pizza!"

I elbowed him. "You've got pizza in the brain!"

Silence filled the air. I could hear my heart thumping inside of me. "Very well," said Mr. Anderson. "And as punishment, for the rest of the school year, he will clean all the hallways and stairways."

"And the labs," said Tyrone.

"And the labs," said Mr. Anderson.

"And the gym," said Rachel, one of the cheerleaders.

"Yes and the gym."

"And the library," said Dimetroodon. HUH?! What are you doing to me?! I stared at him dumbfounded.

"Well then," said Mr. Anderson. "Now that this has been taken care of…I'm late for my Hula Dance class. I'm on my way." And with that, Mr. Anderson who was already wearing a straw hat, a grass skirt, and a flower collar danced his way in the weirdest way possible down the hallway and left.

Everyone was staring at me. I gulped again and prepared for the worst. Then the silence was broken in the worst way possible: with Kylie's voice. She turned to Rachel, her cheerleader friend. "Take this down, Rachel. From now on, add Spiny to the top of my list of My Worst and Most Hated Enemies and take him off the Cool Kids list. And help me tear up all his pictures and mementos."

For things to get so bad that even Kylie hated me…they have to get pretty bad.

Then, just before they left, they both turned to me. "Oh, and bye lou."

"Bye, lou?"

"Bye, loser!"

And like that, one by one, everyone started leaving. Each of them called me, "Peeping Tom!" or "Pervert!" or "Loser!"

Every single one was another punch in the stomach. It was a bad thing I had already eaten. Ha! Kind of a little joke there! Punch in the stomach…already ate…ha…huh. Not so funny, huh? Sorry. I guess that I was just trying to distract myself from the horrible experience I was going through.

Guess not thinking of the problem helps me stay positive that things will get better. I try to stay optimistic but…that's beside the point. Moving on.

The point is that this was worse than when I lost my entire head of hair when Larry accidently razed it off with a saw. And that was terrible, let me tell you. Good thing my hair grows fast and I only had to stay inside for two weeks.

Anyways, everyone except Kathy, Lilia, Larry and Patty left. "What's up with this, Spiny?" said Kathy. "You're not like this at all."

Talk! You can explain the whole thing to your friends. "No, I'm not! I just want to explain…"

"I don't want to hear it!" said Lilia. "Goodbye, Spiny." She marched away and I felt my heart aching and my eyes getting watery. Kathy ran after her.

That just left Patty, Larry and me. I sighed. "Have you ever seen a poor cockroach that has been stomped on, run over by a car, flipped by a shoe, and then stomped on again?"

They both nodded. "Well, I think that that cockroach would feel better than I am right now."

"I understand," said Larry. "If only…if only that poor cockroach could so something."

Huh? Patty and I rolled our eyes at him.

Well, he was sure not worth protecting. But…I just had to. If not, I would never forgive myself. I was hoping that, somehow, things would turn out better for the both of us. And that I would stop being hated and Larry would never get in trouble.

I was so wrong. Things were about to get so worse.

I was really in for it. And big time.

Sometime later, I was talking with Dimetroodon and Larry. I'd explained the whole thing to Dimetroodon. You know, of how I'd gone in there to get Larry out but was caught in the middle, shall we say.

"Well then, why didn't you say why you went in there?" Dimetroodon asked.

"Because Larry is my best friend and I don't want him to be suspended and laughed at. And besides, I'm sure he's learned the lesson by now. Right, Larry?" I turned to my left where he'd been standing.

You know what the idiot was doing? He had peeked his head in the girls' restroom! "LARRY!" I yelled. He jumped and walked back to us. "Sorry. I'm addicted to gossip. I can't help it. I can't live with just watching celebrity shows on TV."

I shook my head. Ay yay yay. He was hopeless.

"You're a jerk, Larry, you know?" said Dimetroodon. Then he said to me, "This whole mess is worse than the bubonic plague outbreak."

"Bubonic plague outbreak?" said Larry. "That sounds like…bu-bones on a plaque breaking towards the outside. Bu-boneic plague outbreak."

He both stared at him. "What?!"

He shrugged. "That's how it sounds to me."

"Shut up, Larry!" I yelled, and walked away. I couldn't take this anymore.

And I wanted to get out of there before I did something I'd regret, like beating him up, or turning him in to the warden, so to speak. When you're angry, you tend to act without thinking and you may not realize what you've done.

That's what I wanted to avoid. That in, anger and desperation, I might tell what really happened. Well…it wouldn't have made a difference anyways. Nobody would believe me. I'd taken a good long while to convince Dimetroodon.

But now, even Lilia hated me. Thinking about that made me feel miserable. And I mean, miserable. Well, I had mostly put on the show while I'd been in front of everyone. But now, maybe I could do the same thing with all the guys individually. Talk to each of them in private and explain what happened. And who knows? Maybe even Lilia would believe me.

Well, the three of us went in our own direction. Let me tell you, just walking to the next class was terrible.

I raised my hand for several questions and the teachers never even looked at me. Not even when I was the only one asking a question or something. And at the end of the day, I was taking out my things from my locker and taped on the door was a note from the faculty and PTA. It said, "Due to your lowly and unacceptable behavior, you have been permanently removed from the soccer team, the school newspaper, the choir, and will not be allowed to attend the End of Year Dance. You must report at the kitchen to meet the lunch lady after your last class and as a punishment to serve your lesson, the story will be given to media and press. Furthermore, you're powers as King has been reduced by 60% by the High Congress and the Royal Assembly."

Oh, great! Just great! Now I really was in for it. Now the whole world would know And I do mean, the whole world. All 206 countries in the world would be condemning, criticizing, and trying to cause people to hate me. It wouldn't surprise me if an uprising and civil war occurred.

Well, maybe not that much, but I certainly was going to drop on the Popularity Level. Not just in the school.

Well, after the last bell rang I waited at a lunch table in the eerily empty cafeteria. There were a few other kids: the worst-behaved ones. Tyrone was one of them. Don't know why Kylie wasn't there. She's worse than him. Maybe it's because she's the principal's daughter. Somehow that seems wrong.

Nobody even looked at me. And those who did made ugly faces and stuck their tongues out at me. In middle school, rumors, especially false ones, spread like a raging wildfire during a 30-year drought in southern California with the Santa Ana winds blowing.

Not exaggerating.

This was horrible. Even the bad kids and the bullies hated me and were avoiding me. So, while we all waited, I sat in a lonely corner. Eerie, unearthly, throbbing silence hung in the ear. I suddenly felt very sick to my stomach and thought I was going to lose my lunch.

And in a few minutes, Mrs. Wolfowitz, or Ernestine as we call her, came and thundered over to us. "March! Now!" She pointed to the wall.

Ernestine had a really nasty reputation. Legend has it that once, after the late bell rang, a kid who had been late in eating because of a class assignment had gone up to throw his trash away. When she saw him, she said, "Come on! Let's go!" He was taken to some place behind the counter in the back and was never seen again.

My pulse accelerated hundredfold. Tyrone stomped off toward the wall, where Ernestine had pointed. One by one, all the other kids walked behind him. I don't know why I didn't. I guess I just froze up in fear. Was she going to make me disappear too?

When I didn't get up, Ernestine walked over to me and in a voice that would've have sent Adolf Hitler running for cover, she said, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, PERVERT?! GO! NOOOWWW!"

Eesh! She was going to lose her voice because of all that screaming. Certainly was going to lose her singing ability. If she had one to begin with. Anyways, I hurried on the double, as they say.

Ernestine made us all stand in a line with our backs against the wall. "And stay there until I tell you to move!" she warned us. I was not only scared, I was outraged at this whole injustice. Why the heck did Lilia and Kathy have to go report me? Couldn't they just stay mad at me in private? Isn't that gossiping? Being a tattletale?

We stood there for so long I thought I might keel over. And just like before, none of them looked at me. They stared at me as if I had smallpox or polio or something. The way I was feeling, I might as well have rather been sick with any of those.

I got terribly nervous. Was this going to be it? Dying of boredom and torture?

Then, after a few minutes, Ernestine came, pulling a ring of keys from her pocket. She marched—not walked, marched—over to the wall next to the food counters and stuck one of the keys into a lock I had never noticed in all my time of being at middle school. The hidden door creaked open, revealing a flash of darkness inside.

Now, how can you see dark, you may be asking? Well, I saw dark, but I also saw lighter patches of dark.

And with the same nasty voice an SS officer during the Holocaust might have had, she said to us all, pointing inside, "Go!"


	4. Chapter 4

I don't know how the other kids weren't scared at all. Most likely because they were used to this. They'd probably gone through the routine many times. Especially Tyrone. I mean, he's repeated 8th grade three times, and is almost always in trouble.

But I…well, to be honest, this was the only time I'd been in "trouble." And to top it all off, I had done nothing!

Anyways, one by one, we all marched into the darkness. Ernestine stepped in behind us and shut the door, making it so dark that even a cat wouldn't see. I heard myself gulp. I had shut my eyes when the door had opened and I walked in. I opened them again. It was still black.

Was this how the other kid had disappeared? Who had also, done nothing to be in trouble with the school law enforcement force?

Then, I heard a deafening crash which made me jump and…okay, this is embarrassing…now don't laugh…well, look. I was scared and…well, I had to let something go! Okay, maybe I did wet my pants. I told you not to laugh!

But I had to remind myself that I was here because of my unconditional loyalty to Larry. Sure, he certainly hadn't really tried to defend me, but…well, you know.

Anyways, a light went on. First thing I saw was a bright glare from the bulb. Ernestine had the cord in one hand hanging down from the ceiling. Then I saw the reason behind the crash. Behind her, Tyrone had managed to crash into some of the janitor's buckets. And he was tangled in a web of mops.

"Get up!" she ordered him, as if it was a crime of humanity to trip over something. Then she said to us, "All of you, in line!"

We all stood shoulder to shoulder, facing her. She looked us over, like a warden. She kinda reminded me of one. She even had a moustache! No kidding. Seriously. Really. All right, don't believe me if you don't want to!

"You!" she yelled. That made us all jump. She pointed to a tall boy from the upper 6th grade. He let out a whimper.

"No talking!" she yelled at him. All right, this was going too far. I had planned on defending myself, but when she said that, it pretty much killed what little bravery I had in me. Anyways, she handed him a broom. And he fell to the floor with it. You see, he was Plateosaurus, and they're not used to handling things with their front legs, even though they are bipedal. Another girl and I were handed sponges and spray bottles. Well, they weren't really handed to us. More like shoved.

Like when a bad guy shoves a gun into the main character's hand and is forcing him to kill his best friend.

A girl from the upper 7th grade was handed a dustpan and whisk broom. "You clear off the tables and clean up after Broom Boy."

See what I mean? She didn't even mention his name! Well, I didn't know him either, but…Owen! That was his name. I think he was on the school's film club or something. Just a FYI.

Then she said to him, to Owen, "And since you like buckets so much," she said with an evil smile, "take this!" She handed him a bucket. "As soon as the others clear a row, you mop the floor."

Ernestine opened the door of the dark room and …aah! I'd never been so happy to see the cafeteria. And there was rays of sunshine coming in! Thank goodness it wasn't cloudy.

"Clean up this place until sparkles just like a new mirror. Then you are to report to the vice-principal." Oh, no! Not again.

By this time I was so scared that I had lost all speaking, thinking, and communication abilities. For 's sake! This was supposed to happen to 4th graders! Not middle schoolers! And certainly should not include 8th graders. Although this was probably a walk in the park for Tyrone.

Anyways, I did as I was told. Which isn't too common. Most of the time I'm the one giving orders to others. I looked around the tables for pieces of food. And it wasn't so easy. I had to get myself into stinky chicken grease and ranch dressing mixed with milk and ketchup. Blech! I got nauseous again. I really wished I didn't throw up. If not, I would never stop cleaning.

I really wished she had made us disappear. I didn't care if I had been kicked out all the clubs. If I had disappeared, I wouldn't have to be tortured! This was going to take hours! I would probably miss dinner. I was beginning to think that we might find the disappeared kid amongst all the food. Aha! I said to myself. This is how she makes kids disappear. By never leaving.

The girl with the dustpan started sweeping trash from the sides of the tables. Owen walked to the end of the row, carrying the bucket with him. I followed behind, sponging the tables. This was the worst day in my life.

We all whisked and broomed and cleaned and washed and sponged and wiped and I don't know what else. Ernestine had just told the vice-principal, Mr. Allen that we would all be going to his office. "Yes, the King too! I can't believe it. I'm trying to be as cruel as possible. You know what? I think all the power has gone to his head. It must've had; he didn't have room for reasoning."

Was she calling me an idiot? Well, that didn't matter. All I was wondering was how much trouble I'd get myself into. I kept thinking all this as I squeezed the sponge into the dishpan. The water turned greenish brown and gave a moldy smell. I felt my face getting green.

After several rows, my arms ached and I felt like I couldn't do this anymore. Then, things really got bad. I got two kicks in the same stone, so to speak.

Tyrone had decided to be a smart-aleck, and threw some trash on purpose so I'd have more to pick up. But before I could do anything, the girl with the whisk broom and dustpan raced towards him at top speed. Tyrone was throwing trash everywhere as if his life depended on it.

I waved my hand as if warning them to stop, but I was invisible to both. Then, I realized…they're on a collision course….and I'm in the middle! Holy cow!

Before you could say "Look out!" it happened. CRASH! Oh, it was awful. The worst crash in the history of middle schools! Before I knew what had happened, the sick green water had splashed on my feet and the floor…and…huh?! The lunch lady's feet?

I looked up…she stared at me. I looked around as if to spot the criminal but I was now alone. All the others had gone back to their positions…and some jerk had stuck the mop in my hands!

Ohhhhhhh boy….

Now I was really going to get it hard.

Oh man. Now what was going to happen? Was there anything left to happen? I'd pretty much had enough with all this. Not to mention that I was now the most hated kid and that Lilia had abandoned me forever.

Ernestine told all the other kids to go to see the vice-principal. "Not you!" she yelled at me. She made me clean up the mess that I had not created. If I ever got out of here alive, I was going to…when I got my hands on Tyrone I was going to…

Never mind.

By the time I'd finished, all after-school activities had ended and much of the staff and faculty had left home. When I walked down to see Mr. Allen, I saw the clock. It said: 5:45 pm. Yesterday at this time, I'd been out with the guys eating at Arnold's. We'd been having a great time.

I waited out in the hallway, while it was my turn. Finally, Tyrone stepped out. Just before he left, he looked at me. "Oh, yeah. I forgot something. There's something I need to tell you…you're a pervert!"

Great! Now the Chief School Bully was in on the whole thing. What'd I tell you? Well, here we go. I walked into Mr. Allen's office. I felt just like a soda that had lost its fizz. I stood before him as he arranged some papers. Then he looked at me, his eyebrows upside-down, forming a V.

"I must say, Spiny, that I am surprised at your behavior. And quite disappointed."

Here was my chance. Now I could tell him the whole thing. "But, you see, I…"

He held his hand up. "I don't want to hear it! I always expected you to set a good example for everyone. Instead, you commit a serious misconduct and put yourself in cafeteria brouhaha."

Brou-ha-what?! What the heck was that? Was that even a word?

"So, Mr. Anderson tells you you'll be cleaning the cafeteria, the bathrooms, the gym, the hallways, the science lab, and the library for the rest of the year."

Ouch. This was really hurting.

"And as for me…well, I want to confess. I was the one who suggested that you be removed from the school newspaper team." HUH?!

"But, I…"

"Spiny. I said I didn't want to hear anything. Look, everyone slips up once in a while. Part of growing up is learning how to deal with our mistakes." You're kidding, right? Being blamed, mocked, abused, punished, and humiliated relentlessly for something you didn't do is part of growing up? And just where had I "slipped up?"

Now I'd have to be mopping nasty green-brown water for three hours every week day for the rest of the school year—all because I had done a noble deed and had tried to save my friend from all this. A friend who didn't even deserved being saved.

Well…I decided that the best thing was just to leave and go clear my head to try to forget the whole thing. So, I got on my bike and rode down to Arnold's.

Thought I might have a chocolate shake or something. You know, they say chocolate can calm down your nerves when you're worried or scared? But it makes some people hyper. Well, I guess it works for some one way and for other another way.

Anyways, I walked in but this time, there wasn't a massive mob of girls running at me. Actually, when I went in and sat down at my usual booth, everyone stood up and went to sit down in seats that were further away.

Great…this was really getting worse. All I needed was for the waiters to refuse to serve me. And that's exactly what happened. No kidding. I called Arnold and asked him to bring me a chocolate shake. Mind you, I said please and in a pleasant tone of voice. But no. He said, "I don't serve perverts! Go make it yourself!"

Well! And you know I thought of going to make it myself, but before I could even stand up, he said, "And don't go near my kitchen!"

Eesh!

I couldn't believe all this.

But I just had to. I had to bear with all this and keep supporting this.

But what I was afraid of was that I would give in under this pressure and betray the trust that Larry had put in me.

How long would this drag on? How much more would I have to take?


	5. Chapter 5

When I got home, it was 8:15 pm. By gosh! It was past Rob and Greeny's bedtime and I hadn't even had a chance to say goodnight. I couldn't even say hi!

When I stepped inside the palace, all the rooms were dark. I put away my shoes and walked up stairs to hang my things. As I was walking to my room, I noticed a light turned on. It was Kathy and Patty's room. I heard one of them talking…to Larry?

Kathy sounded…well, kinda mad. Mad at Larry? That wasn't a surprised. She was always mad at him. It was like she showed her family love to him by being mad. Sounds paradoxical, but people have funny ways of showing affection.

I knew of a couple who got along just perfectly well with everyone else, but with each other…ha! Yelling, screaming, insults, throwing things…they never hurt each other but their house was always a zoo! We tried to get them to be nice to each other. And we did! They were so nice to each other that it made me sick. But they treated everyone else horribly! So, we had to make them yell at each other again, and they were back to being nice with everyone else.

They showed their love for each other by being mean.

Anyways…

As I walked to my door, I could make out what they were saying.

Larry was the first one to talk. "Why did you trip me when I came back from school?"

Then Kathy said in a sarcastic voice, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't watch!"

"You oughta get glasses. Or smaller shoes."

I could tell Kathy was making a face at a Larry. Believe me, I could tell without even looking.

"And you, Mister Wise-Guy, oughta listen to your inner self."

"Oh, no! Don't tell me there's another me besides me."

"Ugh! Larry, what I mean is that you need to listen to voice of your conscience!"

"My…who's that?"

"A voice inside of you that talks when you did something wrong."

"Ohh! You mean the noise that comes from Dimetroodon when he stinks up a room?"

"Uh, no. It's like an inside voice."

There was some silence. Hmm. Maybe Larry did something stupid like steal ice cream or something. So I was about to leave when Kathy said, "Look, I heard you and Spiny and Dimetroodon talking outside the restrooms today at school. I know it all. My brother is really getting it hard just to protect your carcass. And that's not fair!"

I almost gasped and stopped myself just in time. Kathy knew? That meant that she knew I was innocent. And she was very good at convincing other people!

But then Larry, my so-called friend said, "But I don't want to get suspended. Or get my armpit hair shaved."

HUH?! He didn't have any hair!

"What are you talking about?!" said Kathy. "Ah! Forget it! You do whatever you want. I'm not on your side anymore. Now, get out of my room before I pulverize you!"

I quickly got into my room, threw my books away, took off my shoes and got under the covers and quickly closed my eyes.

I heard the door slam open and the lights were turned on. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Larry said. "Let go of my tail. Put me down!"

"All right, you asked for it!"

I heard a blast of wind and a crash. I peeked. Kathy had thrown Larry towards his bed, swinging him by the tail.

"Don't talk or look at me! I will never forgive you for this!"

Then she left, closing the door behind her. Larry sighed. Then he said, "Where are you, Inner Me? You won't get away with this! Just wait till I get my hands on you!" I peeked again. He started moving and slashing around, as if to grab someone sneaking up on him. This guy was seriously in need of a brain.

Well, after two hours searching for his inner self, he gave up and went to sleep.

I didn't sleep too soundly, in case you're wondering. It was terrible. Hours and hours of tossing and turning. Not to mention that I had to stand to hear Larry's usual orchestra of sounds: snoring, wheezing, grunting, whimpering, mumbling, and twitching.

Not only that, but he sleepwalks. Yep, he sleepwalks, and loudly. Sometimes, he goes to get himself a snack, goes to read a book, or does something like walk on the roof, or play with knifes and matches. And when he sleepwalks, he stomps loudly. Sounds like a 500-pound robot.

Well, anyways, I only slept for like two or three hours. And I had terrible nightmares. This wasn't too comforting.

Well, I woke up the next day feeling messed up and sick. But of course I didn't have a fever so I didn't have an excuse for staying home. Well, I got down and had my breakfast as usual. Only I didn't really feel like eating waffles. I didn't feel hungry at all. And I knew that Patty and Kathy had gotten up extra early to fix me that great breakfast and they would feel terrible if I didn't eat it.

So I pretty much forced myself to. If there's any bad time to get nauseous or stomach sick, it's early in the morning at breakfast. There's just something about being sick in the morning that makes it worse than at other times.

Well, I thanked both girls for the breakfast and ate one waffle. Boy did I feel sick to the stomach.

Just in case, I took some Pepto-Bismol. Good thing I had cherry flavor.

Afterwards, I headed out and got on my bike, and fell in after Kathy and Patty. I saw Lilia step out of her house and get on her bike. Oh, she looked divine! Her hair was a long brown garment blowing in the wind.

She looked adorable.

She happened to look in my direction. I gave her a small smile and waved at her. She turned away and hurried down the road. I felt like someone had thrown a ton of bricks at my heart.

I sighed and kept on, trying to forget the harsh reality of what was happening. I had to bear it. Maybe it would just be a few more days and soon people would forget about this and I would have nothing to worry about.

Ah, who was I kidding? This would stay on my permanent record as long as I lived. And there was nothing I could do about it.

When I got inside the school building, the same story everywhere. Nasty looks, whispers, pointing fingers, tongues sticking out, girls avoiding me, the whole nine yards. I went to put my things away at my locker, grabbed my books, and walked to my first class.

You won't believe this. When I walked into the classroom, the doors, walls, and the blackboards were completely covered with signs that said, "Spiny is the worst gossiper in the world." "Spiny is not a cutie." "Spiny is a pervert!" "Down with Peeping Toms!"

I couldn't believe this! And that wasn't it. I saw Rachel, the red-head cheerleader posting more of those signs. I turned and saw…Kylie at her seat, her feet up on the desk, filing her nails, and braids in her hair.

I stared as if to say, "What's the big idea!"

She looked at me and fluttered her eyelids. "Oh, Spiny, honey! I'm glad you're here. I wanted to tell you something. What was it? Oh, yeah. Pervert!"

Then Rachel said, "I want to tell you something, too!" Then, she said to Kylie, "What was it, Kylie?"

Kylie rolled her eyes and whispered, "Pervert."

"Oh, yeah." Then she said to me, "Pervert!" and she stuck her tongue out at me.

I shook my head and went to sit down at my seat.

In a few minutes, the rest of the class came in. Dimetroodon, Larry, Darla, Kathy, and Patty were all talking and telling Larry something. Then, Lilia walked in. She had a super cute purple blouse and a jean skirt. Wow, her purple blouse really matched her mousy brown hair. She was looking down and wasn't carrying her usual smile. I could get a good look at her face because her seat was in front of mine.

Her eyes were red…as if she had been crying.

Then, she briefly looked at me. I automatically wanted to smile, but I was too ashamed and quickly remembered that she was no longer enamored with me as she had been since she was seven.

I could hear her sob quietly as she sat down in front of me. I sighed deeply. I closed my eyes to prevent the tears from coming. I really wanted to cry.

I tried to say to myself Friends before girls. Friends before girls. But how? How could I tell Lilia and convince her that was innocent? She wouldn't even let me near her.

Then, I got an idea. I got out my Literature and Grammar journal, and opened to a clean page. Then I quickly wrote, Can I talk to you after class? There's something I need to tell you. It's about what happened yesterday. I have to explain to you. It's not like you think it happened. Please?

I folded the paper up and tapped her shoulder with it. She turned around and I handed her the paper. She opened it and I waited until she finished reading it. I heard her gulp. Then she looked at me and said, "I said I didn't want to hear it!" Then she tore the paper up and scattered the pieces on my desk.

I felt my chest throbbing. She turned around bitterly and left me there standing cold. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kylie sneering. She hated me too, but she also loved the fact that her archenemy and rival also hated me.

I looked at the torn paper in front of me. At Kathy and the others, staring at me and Larry. At Larry looking confused and nervous. At Lilia in front of me who had just shattered my heart and was so heartless that she didn't even want to hear my side of it. And Kylie, who was enjoying my heartache.

I tried to, but wasn't successful. The bell rang and the teacher started to speak. Before I knew what I was doing, I stood up and ran out the classroom, the tears now streaming down my face. I ignored Lilia's startled look or Mr. Morris calling me back.

I ran out into the empty hallways, slammed into the janitor, and walked down hallways and up and down stairs until my legs got weak.

I collapsed into a secluded, quiet corner where the lights didn't reach. I curled up and started sobbing. I finally let the tears go completely.

Why? WHY?! How could everyone—including the girl I was in love with—not even want to hear my side? Well, maybe not everyone. Because if everyone found out, then the principal would, and Larry would get suspended. And if that happened I wouldn't be able to live with that.

But Lilia was my friend. And my neighbor. And my classmate. And my admirer. And my fan. She was supposed to be completely nuts over me. I wouldn't say she's perfect. Nobody is. But I always thought she was a caring and understanding person.

Now, she wouldn't even hear what I wanted to say in my defense?

I sat there, curled-up like little kid, trying to forget that I was a teenager. I had my head rested on my knees and cried for minutes. Then, I heard footsteps and someone sat beside me. I felt a warm hand touch my shoulder, which sent shivers all over me.

My heart started leaping with joy. I looked up and…my heart sank deep. It wasn't Lilia. It was one of her friends, Amanda.

I cleared my throat. "Oh, hi Amanda."

"Hi, Spiny," she said in a soft voice. "Are you okay?"

I wiped my eyes and said, "Yeah, I'm all right. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I don't know. Whenever I saw someone sitting on the floor in a dark corner crying, I have to go over and ask what's wrong."

I chuckled at that. Yeah, that made sense. I took a few deep breaths and said, "Well…you know, um, what happened yesterday?"

She nodded and looked down. "Yeah." Then she looked at me, saying, "Why did you do it, Spiny?"

I sighed and said, "Look, Amanda. I have to tell you this, but you have to promise you won't say anything to anyone. For Larry's sake."

"Larry?" she asked, confused. "What does this all have to do with Larry?"

I explained the whole thing. How Larry had gone in the girls' room to spy on their conversations, me going in there to get him out, getting caught by Lilia and Darla and my sister, covering up for Larry, and getting into a whole mess of trouble that just didn't seem to stop.

"But why are you crying?" she said.

I told her how I'd tried to explain things repeatedly to Lilia but how she had rejected me without even listening. And that I simply couldn't bear it anymore and ran out of the classroom.

I waited a little while for her to let the whole thing sink in. When she didn't answer, I said, "You believe me, don't you?"

"Well…when you look at it that way, it makes sense." She smiled sympathetically. "I believe you." Well, that was one more person in my favor. A slight relief.

"But Lilia won't even give me a chance to explain."

"Well, that is a problem. Wait! I know. I have an idea. I know how I can get her to be somewhere and she'll just have to listen. She won't have a choice!"

I wiped my eyes again. She handed me a handkerchief and I blew my nose. "Thanks. I just hope things will turn out okay. I don't want Larry to get punished, but it would be nice if my friends privately knew about all this."

"Don't worry. This will work." She smiled and hugged me. Then she explained her whole idea for me to win over Lilia. All I had to do was to bear about three hours or so of all what has happening.


	6. Chapter 6

Let me tell you, supporting three more hours of social torture was very difficult. But I kept reminding myself that I had to. I just had to keep going. Because now, I had a plan. All right, Amanda came up with it. But the point was that know we would have a way of getting Lilia to believe me.

I won't tell you what the plan is, so you'll have to wait.

Anyways, I endured through Grammar, Science, and History more and more. I almost couldn't take it. But I waited and waited…finally the moment came at lunchtime. I'm still not going to tell you what the plan is. You'll have to figure it out by yourself.

Anyways, at lunchtime, as usual, I tried to find a spot to sit, and of course, nobody wanted me near and kept calling me "Pervert!" Eesh! I was getting used to this…which wasn't good, because I was used to everyone loving me.

Well, okay, not everyone. Well, you know what I mean. What I'm trying to say is…never mind.

Anyways, I saw Lilia sitting at our table, with Amanda and Meagan. They were in the middle of chatting when I "happened" to stop by. "Hey, girls," I said.

"Hey, Spiny!" said Amanda. And standing up, she said, "Well, I'll leave you two to talk." She winked at me. Then she pulled Meagan away. Lilia hadn't even turned in my direction. She hadn't even talked at all before I came.

I scooched closer to her. "Hey? How you doing?"

Didn't answer or look at me.

I sighed. Well, here we go. Now or never. "Listen, I just want you to know that…that I'm really upset about this whole thing. And I hope that everything will turn out all right. You see, I didn't really do it. Larry was the one who did, and I just went in to save him from all this. That's why I'm blaming myself, so that Larry won't get punished or suspended. You can understand that, can't you?"

Still didn't look at me or talk. "I also wanted to say that…well, that I…" My heart starting pounding so hard I was sure she could hear it. "I want to tell you…that I love you." I don't believe I had ever been so nervous as I was then.

I touched her shoulder. "Well? You forgive me?"

She turned around, looking confused and…HUH?! She took out earbuds from her ears? "What? Did you say something?"

Wha…she…I…how…didn't…HUH? "Weren't you listening to what I've been saying for the past two minutes?"

Then she got that same look. "No, because I don't talk to perverts! And stop following me!" Then, she threw all her leftover food on me, and poured her chocolate malt on my head. After that, she got up and left.

Well, so much for a good plan, right? Behind me I heard footsteps. I turned around and saw…Larry. He was looking around and seemed to be…talking to himself? I knew he was a screwball, but this was ridiculous.

He was saying to himself, "Stop talking, Inner Me!" Inner Me? Was he still trying to beat up his inner voice? Then he said, "Why can't I beat you up? You're inside of me? Ohh…you should've never told me where you were!" Then you know what he did? He punched himself!

That's right. He punched himself! And of course, it hurt him, caused him to spin, and crashed face down on the floor. You could even hear little birds chirping. I shook my head…he sure could act like a real dumb-bunny.

I got up and left.

I went to the science lab.

No, it wasn't for science class. After lunch, this lab wasn't used. I ran in and…there was no one there. I went over to a seat and waited. And waited. I looked at my watch. Then at the clock. Then I heard voices coming. I sat up and got ready.

Lilia and Amanda and Kathy appeared at the doorway. The moment Lilia she turned around and made a run for it. But the other two grabbed her before she could, and against her will, pushed her in, closing and shutting the door behind her.

I stood up. "Lilia, I have to talk to you."

"I told you that I don't want to talk to you ever again as long as I live!"

Now I was getting mad. "Well, whether or not you like it, I will explain and you have no choice but to listen!" I went over and pulled her over to the table and sat her next to me. "Now, please, just listen to what I have to say. Please!"

She looked at me indifferently, but didn't say anything.

And so I was there explaining the whole, entire situation to her. From Larry going in the girls' restroom all the way to up until that moment.

Only thing was that, she didn't seem to believe it, because she still had the same cold look in her eyes. I never knew such beautiful eyes could look so cruel. When I finished, I said, "Well?"

She sighed and finally looked at me. Then she stood up and…for a minute I thought she was going to slap me again. I wouldn't blame her. I mean, all the evidence was against me. I knew I was getting nowhere. So I just said, "Look, I don't blame you if you don't believe me. If you want to slap me again or yell at me, go ahead."

She didn't. She didn't do anything. Just stared at me. She was starting to scare me. But what she did surprised me. She hugged me! That's right. She put her arms around my neck. I could hear her cry again. "Oh, Spiny. Can you ever forgive me?"

Huh? "Sure I forgive you. But what did you do?"

Then she looked at me. "I didn't trust you. I guess I just don't know you as well as I thought I did." Then hugged me again. I felt my entire body fill with happiness. I caressed her soft hair. Oh, I wanted to do that for so long!

I could smell her sweet perfume. Then I said to her, "So, it's all forgotten?"

She nodded. "Sure it is."

The door opened again. It was Kathy. "Well, have you two lovebird made up?"

I felt my face blushing and looked at Lilia. She was blushing too. She chuckled. "We made up." Then Lilia looked at me and kissed my cheek. I felt butterflies in my stomach and my face got even redder.

"Thanks," I said to her.

"Aww!" said Kathy, obviously, trying to annoy. I looked at her sarcastically. "Very funny."

Well, I'd made Lilia believe the truth. And I got a hug and a kiss on the cheek out of it. So, yeah, it didn't go so bad.

But it still wasn't over.

A little while later, I was walking down the hallway to my next class. Sure everybody else still hated me, but what did I care? All my true friends knew the truth and that was enough for me. Sure, I'd still have to be cleaning the cafeteria for the rest of the school year, along with almost the entire school. And I wouldn't be allowed to be in any after-school activities. But, I wasn't so worried.

Anyways, I was going down the hallway, when I bumped into Dimetroodon and Darla. Darla was holding up a large mirror. What was that all about? I walked over to them. "Hey, guys, what's up?"

"Oh, nothing," said Dimetroodon.

I looked around. "Hey, have you seen Larry?"

They looked at each other. Then at me. "He…he's going to the principal's office to tell the truth."

Those words made me freeze. He was doing WHAT? He was going WHERE? He was going to confess to WHOM? "HUH?! What? Why?"

Darla said, "Look, Spiny. We appreciate that you want to protect Larry. But loyalty cuts both ways. It's not fair to you. Larry was the one who did it and he should be the one who's punished."

I was speechless. "You talked him into it?"

"You talked him into it?"

Dimetroodon sighed. "We had no choice, Spiny!"

I turned around and ran as fast as I could. I had to save my best friend from being loyal to me.

Sounds crazy, but it's the truth.

When I got to the principal's office, Larry was peeking his head through the door. I came up behind him. "LARRY!"

Whoa! You should've seen him jump. He was scared to death.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Uh, nothing. I was just…looking. Came to see if the eggs are ready."

"Eggs? Eggs in the principal's office? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you didn't know? There are chickens in the office. Look." He pointed behind me. Why the little sneak! The moment I looked away, he ran inside. I went in after him. "Larry, no! You're being stupid; don't tell the truth!"

He threw my hands off of him. "I am stupid and I'm not going to tell the truth!"

Huh?

"I mean…I'm truth and I'm going to say stupid."

"What?"

"I mean…well, you know what I mean. I'm going to stay here and wait till the principal comes."

"Oh, no you won't!"

"Oh, yes I will!"

"You won't!"

"Will!"

"Won't!"

We started wrestling, struggling and fighting. I bumped into some metal object on the desk. Well, I'd worry about that later. Now I had to get this fool out of here. He twisted my arm. "I'm the real Bathroom Spy and it's not fair that you get blamed!"

I twisted my hand free and put my arm around his neck. "But it was to be this way! You're my friend, and I don't want you to get suspended!"

Then, he pulled my hair. "But you don't deserve this."

I put him in a headlock. "And neither do you. Besides, if you get suspended, no school is going to be stupid enough to enroll you!" Well, I had more or less spilled the beans. Now you know why I didn't want Larry suspended. You know how he reacted? He elbowed me hard in the stomach.

It hurt. Oh, it hurt!

"Oh, yeah!" he yelled. "Well, I don't care. I'm waiting here till the principal comes." He stood there and crossed his arms. The clock ticked for about nine seconds, then he said, "Well, I got bored. I'm leaving." He didn't even have the decency to wait?

He was a rat!

I went after him, and…outside the door, there was a large group of students. They seemed to be…waiting?

"Spiny," said Lilia. "We heard everything."

They did? Guess that's what we knocked into on the desk. Maybe we accidentally turned on the microphone.

Anyways, Lilia walked up to me and hugged me and ran her hands through my hair. "You're my best friend. And I'm sorry I ever doubted you." Well, this was definitely more like it.

Guess who arrived? Kylie Anderson. "Spiny…I never doubted you either. Can I have a hug too?

"No!" I said firmly.

All the other kids laughed at her. I kinda enjoyed it. I know it's mean, but I did. She really deserved it. But that wasn't it. Guess who else came? Mr. Anderson.

"I heard everything!" he said. "And the worst part of it is that…you interrupted my hula dancing class!" This guy was definitely not a normal principal. Anyways, he said, "Larry! In my office! Now!"

Larry looked at us solemnly. "Well…thanks for everything guys. I'll be seeing you." He stepped in the office, closing the door behind him.

I really hoped that he wouldn't get suspended. Not just because of what I said before, but because he's my best friend and I'd like to have him around. Well anyways, while we waited for his sentence, I said to Lilia, "Look, I know I've asked you this before but…will you be my girlfriend?"

She looked at me with a soft look, but didn't smile. "Well…you see, Spiny, all these things that have happened recently have made me think and…I think I'd prefer that we stay as friends. Or, what do you think?"

I guess deep down in my subconscious, I knew I should've felt bad. But for some reason, I didn't. I guess the way she said it and the way she was looking at me, she inspired hope. I smiled at her. I leaned my forehead on hers. "Of course. Take all the time you need. But I won't let you escape."

She giggled and blushed.

At least there was still hope.

Then, Larry came out of the office. "What happened?" said Darla.

"I won't get suspended!"

He all cheered and shouted in happiness. "But…I will have to do all the cleaning that Spiny was doing. They tell me Ernestine is very mean, Spiny. Is she?"

I laughed. Then, patting him on the shoulder, I said, "Don't worry. You'll survive. Just make sure you're not in the middle of a potential collision course."

"What?"

"Never mind."

He sighed. "Well, I guess I'll see you at around dinner or later." He was about to leave, when I called him. "Hey, Larry?"

He turned back to me. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for being a loyal friend. You're the best friend I've had. You drive me nuts all the time, but I wouldn't trade you for any other friend."

He smiled and hugged me. I hugged him back. Then off he went, cleaning and washing and scrubbing.

To celebrate, we all went to Arnold's. Just like it had always been. It's been two days since all this happened. I'm really grateful I have great friends like Larry, Darla, Lilia, and the others.

And I wouldn't trade them for anything in this entire universe. It would be great if everyone had friends like that, don't you think?


End file.
